James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

[giantELF]

I was listening to an interview with James L. Brooks on KCRWs "The Business" where he discussed his -- somewhat -- hyperbolic suggestion to writers to start each script with FADE IN: TAX INCENTIVE STATE.

As a person who makes his living working in film I find myself working out of CA more and more. Or sometimes not at all.

But it brought up an interesting question that I am putting out to the group purely based on curiosity:

How do you determine location/setting when specificity is no matter? (Obviously a movie about the New York Yankees would primarily take place in New York. But what about other stories?)

Just Anytown USA?
Do you write about the town you live in because you know it?
Or do you arbitrarily assign a location to a story and build from there?

I recently worked on a feature that was set in a specific city which was crucial to the story. (It was hell BTW.) But with many more films it does not matter where the "where" is.

And then there is the in-between -- where the location can serve as color for the character or introduce story elements/set pieces that are specific to that location. (e.g Ferry Boat scenes, speed boat chase, a roadside Diner)

I realize it has nothing do with whether a script is made or not. Yet I work in a position in which where the script is shot is decided -- regardless of where it is set. Sometimes to the detriment to the story. I wish I had a nickel for each time an "Los Angeles Ad Exec" is switched to "Boston Marketing Director" just to get the tax incentives. (I would have 15 cents...really)

I have also been present when a Producer asked with a straight face to find South Los Angeles gang neighborhoods in Albuquerque. No lie.

James L. Brooks may be on to something.

[The Dark Shape]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

It really just depends on how vital the location is to the characters themselves.

My latest script originally took place in New York, and was specified as such, but the city itself was never terribly important to the characters or shenanigans that ensued, so it just became Generic Unnamed City.

[wcmartell]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

When I was preparing to write my SECOND SON script, I set it in a city in a tax incentive state. Why not?

- Bill

[MoonHill]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

If location is important to the story, then I set it in that location.


If location isn't important to the story, then I don't bother to specify location.


The comedy involved in this idea is that I cannot conceive of any actual production executive reading a script and saying "Well, it's great and terrific and would make us a ton of money, but it's set in Yucaipa and there just ain't enough incentives there. PASS" Similarly, I can't really see any real executive saying "Well, this script has problems, but hey! At least the whole thing is set in Louisiana! Cha-Ching!"


If a setting isn't critical to a story (and, a lot of times, even if it is), changing that setting is literally the 2nd easiest thing to do during a re-write (the first being changing the title). And filming where the money is while portraying somewhere completely different is what production is all about, man.

[Knaight]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

I wrote a script set on a very specific bridge in a very specific part of the USA. We optioned it.

The producer wants to set it in Korea.

Although my professional experience is limited to this single script, I am beginning to think that it doesn't really matter where you set it. If they want to make it in a state with great tax incentives, they will make it in a state with great tax incentives. If you want to be a professional writer, you will nod and smile and rewrite it so that they can shoot it in that state with great tax incentives. Or country.

[carcar]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

I've written a couple of scripts with tax-incentive states in mind. That's just co-incidence, because the stories would be set in those states, whether they had tax incentives or not.

The thing is, tax incentives can change. One script was set in Iowa, and that tax incentive program got torpedoed because of allegations (substantiated ones, at that) of abuse. The other one is set in Rhode Island, which historically has had generous tax incentives, but the legislature has on occasion been hostile to it. But in any case, they only have limited tax incentives per year, so your window to approach is narrow.

There is a new service whose name temporarily escapes me that, for a subscription fee, will keep you informed of the monthly status of tax incentives for the various states, including new legislation and end dates. If I was actively setting up a production that could use that kind of service, I'd definitely take advantage for a few months.

I wrote those pieces for the specific character of the locale, not because it would garner me a tax break. Which, again, is good, because sometimes they go away before you can get to them. And sometimes they just don't do you that much good.

But sometimes they do.

[Rantanplan]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

What's that flick with Alec Baldwin who pretends to be a producer who options starving artist Matthew Broderick's script set in the desert and relocates it to an industrial setting in Baltimore or such? It gets funnier as the writer's dreams are obliterated one compromise at a time.

[MoonHill]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

What's that flick with Alec Baldwin who pretends to be a producer who options starving artist Matthew Broderick's script set in the desert and relocates it to an industrial setting in Baltimore or such? It gets funnier as the writer's dreams are obliterated one compromise at a time.

The Last Shot.


Hilarious when the FBI agent who's pretending to be a producer to run a sting on mob-connected film crews starts pitching his superior on distribution options.

[Rantanplan]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

The Last Shot.


Hilarious when the FBI agent who's pretending to be a producer to run a sting on mob-connected film crews starts pitching his superior on distribution options.

That's the one. Hilarious indeed!

[carcar]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

I think that's based on a true story.

[Rantanplan]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

I think that's based on a true story.

I thought you were joking (kind of like Fargo or Blair Witch). Then, as fate would have it, my local video store announced it was closing yesterday, and since the entire inventory was up for sale, I thought I'd see if they had that flick.

And lo and behold, it is indeed based on a massive FBI sting operation!

(the special features section actually has segments with the real FBI guy and the real duped filmmakers)

Kind of like Argo in Rhode Island I guess

[carcar]

Re: James L Brooks, Writing & Tax Incentives

I'm familiar with it, because back in the day, I went to a disco that was set up as part of that sting. I knew people that were hired as bouncers there. It was kind of a surprise.